"General, the military situation has been clearly understood. Zhang Han's camp outside Xinye has built a high arrow tower at this time. Even if reinforcements arrive, it will be difficult to capture it. It is better to retreat."
"If the general must retake Xinye, he can only mobilize his troops and attack with a large army. Huang Zhong from the front sent a message to block the advance..."
After the scribes who came to report told what they had discussed, Liu Biao once again looked confused and struggling. The current situation was enough to show that only by sending troops and horses to fight Zhang Han again, or even a life-and-death battle, could he be stopped. The offensive of living in Xinye.
But Liu Biao did not dare to make this decision, because the four tribes in the territory were definitely unwilling. They were all speculators and needed to see benefits. Even if he respected Liu Biao as the state pastor, he would definitely think about it for a long time if it involved family interests.
Once the army reaches a stalemate in the battle with Zhang Han, it will actually be a huge internal friction for him.
But to endure it is equivalent to giving up Nanyang, which will only make the Cao family more arrogant. Once Nanyang is firmly governed by Zhang Han in the future, the southern part of the Cao family will be more stable.
"No!" Liu Biao immediately stood up when he thought of this, striding back and forth hesitantly. Soon after, he immediately said to the visitor: "Let Cai Mao, Cai He, and Kuai Yue come here immediately. We must increase the number of troops in the new field. We cannot let Zhang Han Capture Nanyang so easily!"
The visitor received the order and left. That night, he gathered several ethnic groups who were officials in Jingzhou, issued an order to summon troops, horses, military resources, gathered manpower, and mobilized 30,000 troops to repel Zhang Han's troops.
Before stopping that night, the army immediately set off from the Jingzhou garrison and headed for Xinye.
These soldiers and horses, plus the remaining 10,000 people originally stationed nearby, were twice the size of Zhang Han's army. They had just experienced a big battle and were exhausted. They must have retreated a little.
Moreover, in order to improve military discipline and make everyone work together, Liu Biao sent a letter asking Huang Zhong not to talk about withdrawing the army and making peace, and to entrust all military power and command power to the generals who were sent.
…
Chaoyang is located in the Huangzhong garrison more than 60 miles south of Xinye.
After Huang Zhong received the letter from Xiangyang, he fell into silence.
The deputy general whispered from the side: "I also heard that General Liu Pan was secretly dismissed after returning to Xiangyang. Now he has been driven back to his hometown. Maybe he should leave Jingzhou tonight."
Huang Zhong looked up and was stunned, feeling even more uneasy.
There is an indescribable irritability, but I don't know who it is directed at, but I feel very confused.
"Then, does he have anything to bring back?" Huang Zhong asked with concern.
The lieutenant general said: "It's too late. In order to stabilize the morale of the army, my lord has dealt with him quickly, so that he will not be criticized and everyone can work together. Moreover, the general who came this time is a member of the Ma family. Although the Ma family in Jingzhou is famous, But in recent years, there have been no famous generals leading the army, and I am afraid they are not good at this battle..."
"Young people," Huang Zhong pondered for a moment, "Young people may not be talented, but they may not lack knowledge, but if they lead an army and fight against a veteran on the battlefield like Zhang Han, I'm afraid it will be difficult..."
"There is no other way, General Huang. Xiangyang can no longer send a commander, so we can only use new ones."
The deputy general also had a look of helplessness on his face. He sent someone to find out more about the situation. He knew roughly what happened. He knew how critical Jingzhou was at this moment. There were at least three main battlefields.
Xinye is still a relatively small battlefield, but because Zhang Han's achievements were so outstanding that the defenders in nearby cities were frightened, so they could only send reinforcements, which involved too many military resources and manpower.
The soldiers and horses of the Cao family and the Sun family on the Lujiang battlefield are the real main battlefield, involving at least 100,000 Jingzhou troops, and the two families are still sending a steady stream of troops to suppress the border. It can only be said that from an overall perspective, the Cao family This hand is really beautiful.
He directly gave up all the water defense lines in Lujiang and Jiujiang, allowing Sun to march straight in, land in Jiangxia and raid Huang Zu's tribe. Then Sun Ce returned the favor and opened the gate of Lujiang to let Cao's army in. Cao Ang did not hesitate at all and led the 50,000 soldiers and horses gathered in Xuzhou. , immediately enter the battlefield.
Each of these two families has at least 20,000 elite troops. They are all veterans who have experienced hundreds of battles. They are completely incomparable with the new recruits. Their combat qualities are so strong. If Jingzhou does not remove the elite, it will just No matter how many people there are, I'm afraid they are all going to die.
In just one month, the original peace in Jingzhou has been completely broken.
And it all starts with five hundred horses.
Huang Zhong couldn't help but feel even more chilled when he heard about Zhang Han's previous events.
The chill was not because Zhang Han and others did not follow the rules, attacked rashly, and would fight even if the enemy was unjust. What was chilling him was that Liu Biao actually tried to deceive Zhang Han's good intentions because of the incident involving more than a thousand Xiliang war horses.
Zhang Han's business of sending 500 war horses from Xuzhou was actually to make good friends with Jingzhou. Everyone could see that he wanted to beg for mercy, so that Liu Biao could feel at ease and not forget about the previous festival and just regard it as a small loss.
Who would have thought that Liu Biao actually ate these horses out of dignity and slapped Zhang Han hard on the face.
The current war is somewhat unbelievable if it is not because of this.
"Alas," Huang Zhong sighed and said no more.
The deputy general next to him said: "Old General, General Ma asked me to come down to deliver a message. I ask you to withdraw from Chaoyang tonight and give up the city to the reinforcements. You will lead your troops as the vanguard and then go to Xinye to explore Zhang Hanzhi's camp. First, take the southern part of Feishui River. , occupy the main road to get water from the river bank, and then look for a way to see if we can bypass Xinye and take Rangcheng."
"Rangcheng?"
Huang Zhong was stunned immediately, stood up and said incredulously: "Zhang Xiu is stationed in Rangcheng. This person was based in Wancheng, Nanyang in the early years, and is very familiar with the terrain here. I'm afraid it will be difficult..."
"I can only go up the Mian River in the northwest and go to Zhuyang and Yin counties. I hope that there are not many troops stationed there, so I can disperse some of Zhang Han and Zhang Xiu's troops and open the way for his main army."
Huang Zhong quickly thought of a way, but this was tantamount to dividing his troops and leaving. The two parties could not meet each other, so he might not be able to fully convey his understanding of Zhang Han's military situation during this period.
Splitting up the troops may not be a good idea.
"General, this is a military order, maybe we can't refuse..."
The deputy general looked embarrassed. He had also been in the army for many years, so he didn't understand that he was now regarded as a vanguard and abandoned the army. He did not say it clearly just to boost the morale of the army. This was mainly done to allow the main army to make way.
"General, we, we must have been punished by our lord..."
"I don't know!" Huang Zhong said coldly: "Military orders are like mountains. You can't disobey them, let alone make mistakes. Since there are orders from above, we only need to execute them. I am not unable to be the vanguard."
You have to bite the bullet and do it!
Although Huang Zhong felt uncomfortable at the moment, he could only rely on merit for his current plan. After returning, he would persuade his lord to let Liu Pan come back.
Otherwise, Xing Daorong would be in the front and be defeated one after another. It would be really difficult for him to get the Lord's approval, and he wouldn't even be able to protect himself.
But Huang Zhong always felt uncomfortable in his heart, it shouldn't have ended like this.
Checks and balances, checks and balances... Because the so-called checks and balances can turn right and wrong, they make such a decision regardless of the life and death of elites and the overall situation of the war.
Huang Zhong was a little disappointed. Apart from today's events, some memories from the past came to his mind, making him feel even more complicated.
In fact, there were opportunities to become famous and meritorious in previous years. If it weren't for the fact that his only son was seriously ill, this would not be the case.
None of the people in Jingzhou had any help. They only commented on the information they had little knowledge of. They believed that I left my post without permission, disrespected military orders, and even repeatedly punished and abused me, which caused my reputation to be damaged.
Now in this battle, no matter whether he wins or loses, he has faults, and his achievements are only used to save General Liu.
However, the mistake was not made by me!
Huang Zhong was hit on the thigh suddenly with a hammer, feeling unspeakably sad and angry.
But he couldn't disobey the military order. He could only obey it, otherwise it would be even more difficult to explain.
…
Newfield.
Zhang Han, who had just won a great victory, had quickly sent a letter to Xudu.
It was filled with gratitude to Cao Cao, and even a few lines of poetry were written at the end.
Counting the days, it should be here in the near future. In addition to talking about a great victory in the letter, Zhang Han also planned to ask Cao Cao for help, or to delay the war with the north as much as possible until he could truly establish a foothold in Nanyang and be trapped. It's time for the war to begin when the soldiers and horses are stationed in Jingzhou.
"There's news from Huang Zhong."
Zhang Han was lying on the couch to rest, when suddenly Jia Xu's voice appeared in his ear. He sat up suddenly, with a happy face on his face, and asked, "Tell me about it."
"It seems that if we ask him to evacuate Chaoyang City, new reinforcements should arrive to confront us," Jia Xu stood in front of him, talking with joy, then stretched out his hand and nodded in front of Zhang Han's eyes, saying: " I heard that Liu Pan has also been transferred back."
"This army seems to be still firmly stationed, but in fact the commander has been controlled. At this time, his army has become disloyal and unstable. The soldiers cannot share the same desire. The generals are on guard against each other and are inconsistent in advancing and retreating. This is a defeated army. appearance."
"I believe that the monarch can call for civil and military discussions at this moment and order scouts to gather information from all parties. We should strive to win another victory. Once we win, even if it is just a tragic victory, it will block the pace of the supporting army's advance to Nanyang. Let them be in disarray and lose their military morale, thus destroying themselves without attacking!"
"What if I want to capture Huang Zhong alive?" Zhang Han stood up and looked at Jia Xu sincerely.
"In this case, we have to make some plans," Jia Xu's eyes were solemn, his thoughts were racing, and he was thinking hard about the strategy in his heart.
Soon, Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Gao Shun and others were called back to the camp to discuss.
Jia Xu ordered another 300 black-robed armored cavalry to go to the enemy camp to arrest people to find out the news.
At the same time, Ji Boxiao was sent to the prisoner of war camp to look for the prisoners and inquire about the situation in the army at that time to see if he could find out anything.
Similarly, they are also committed to recruiting them to recruit insiders in the original camp. If they can successfully instigate one or two people to rebel, they will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins.
Just to get useful information.
Zhang Han was very generous in his actions, and the prisoners of war also received unimaginable preferential treatment after being captured, so soon dozens of people were willing to help and perform meritorious services to help Zhang Han.
A few days later.
During the investigation, the sentry sent out got the news that Huang Zhong was marching backward towards Mianshui River.
They immediately judged that he was heading towards Rangcheng. This road was to the west of Xinye and was completely different from marching into Xinye.
As for the garrison in Chaoyang, a general from the Ma family came to command the troops, named Ma Tong.
Because now Zhang Han's troops have threatened Xiangyang, but he only has 10,000 elite soldiers. The number is not too large, and it is just a threat.
These troops and horses were several times larger than Zhang Han's army, and they were enough to hold on for a long time. Liu Biao might not feel too eager.
After getting this information, civil and military officials discussed it and immediately understood the current situation.
Late at night, Jia Xu hurried to the main tent to see Zhang Han, and said excitedly: "Your Majesty, if Huang Zhong's troops go to Rangcheng, their frontal troops will definitely contain Xinye. If Rangcheng is in danger, We will definitely go and save him."
"In this way, the new camp will be empty, and the Jingzhou soldiers in Chaoyang City will attack immediately." Jia Xu thought about it for a day and dared to conclude their strategy, so he immediately came to discuss with Zhang Han.
"Now let's see what the Lord wants!" Jia Xu took a deep breath and looked at him with burning eyes, "Everyone has a plan, the Lord can think about it."
"Do you want Huang Zhong, or do you want to defeat the Jingzhou soldiers and horses!?"
Zhang Han raised the corner of his mouth and said with a bright smile: "I still want Huang Zhong."
"A thousand troops are easy to get, but a general is hard to find!"
Jia Xu nodded lightly and said, "In this case, we need to make dangerous moves."
…
In Xudu, Cao Cao received a letter from Zhang Han.
There have been no major events recently. Apart from the official duties that need to be handled every day, the most important thing is the military information coming from Jingzhou.
Since the sudden war, a rough calculation of the battle damage reports sent by various ministries shows that more than 10,000 people have been lost, but among them there are less than 3,000 elite troops. Cao Cao can still sit firmly in Xudu, and his mood is extremely stable. , never panicked at all.
After reading the letter to the end, Cao Cao laughed heartily. As expected, Zhang Han wrote a poem.
"Two orioles sing in the green willows, and a row of egrets ascend to the blue sky. Zhang Han faces Qianqiu snow in the west, and a ship thousands of miles away from Dongwu is parked at the gate..."
Cao Cao thought for a while, crossed out the four words "Zhang Han Xi Lin" and changed it to "Chuang Han Xiling", which was more consistent, so he included this poem in his own poems.
He immediately ordered Guo Jia to enter the court with him, go to meet the emperor, request an edict for Zhang Han, and even write a message.
Cao Cao, who was proud of the spring breeze, entered Guangde Gate and walked on the campus. He could see the straight and majestic Sima Gate in the distance. As he climbed up the stairs, the guards all admired him.
Liu Xie had been waiting in the main hall early. When he saw Cao Cao coming in, he quickly stood up to greet him with a smile on his face.
As soon as Cao Cao saluted, Liu Xie immediately smiled and said, "Is the Prime Minister here for the war in Jingzhou?"
"Not bad," Cao Cao was stunned for a moment and nodded immediately, but did not continue. He was waiting for Liu Xie's next words.
Since His Majesty already knows the purpose of coming, news must have reached his ears in advance, so he wants to give the order.
At this time, give him some thin noodles.
Liu Xie flicked his sleeves with his wrist, stretched out his hand to hold Cao Cao's hand, went to the case and took out a memorial, saying: "This is the memorial sent by Jingzhou Farewell Captain Kuai Yue and Jingzhou Governor Cai Mao, who risked his life to deliver it. It clearly states It was just a misunderstanding with Bo Changying, and he wanted me to negotiate a peace with the Prime Minister for him. Loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty should not engage in internal strife and allow thieves and bandits to take advantage."
"I, after much thought, wanted to invite the Prime Minister to the palace to discuss the matter today. I didn't expect Ai Qing to come so quickly."
"Misunderstanding!?" Cao Cao's eyes were blank, and then he smiled and said: "What is the misunderstanding? The minister heard the letter from Zhang Han and said that Jingzhou did not want him to enter Nanyang, so he sent troops to drive him away. This is a big sign to His Majesty. It’s disrespectful.”
"When did they send this letter?"
"Three days ago." Liu Xie replied slightly unhappily.
Cao Cao laughed: "That's right. Five days ago, Bo Chang defeated the Jingzhou soldiers and killed fourteen generals. One of them was also known as General Lingling. The battle shocked Jingbei."
"Haha, that's why they immediately sent the memorial," Cao Cao glanced out of the corner of his eye and said rather displeasedly: "If they win, Your Majesty, do you think there will be such a memorial?"
(End of chapter)
